We will want to honor Francis Eppes, Thomas Jefferson’s grandson, for his tenacity in convincing the legislatures and the City of Tallahassee that an institution of higher education should be established here where we occupy the oldest continuous site of higher education in this state.

Proposed Statue of Francis Eppes

One idea we are considering is a life-size sculpture of Eppes looking from the Westcott Plaza to the city he served as mayor, as shown in this slide.

We will honor the women of FSCW, and we will want to mark the transformation in 1947 and recognize those men who had the good judgment to come to this beautiful campus.

Proposed Fountain on Landis Green

We are looking at the construction of a chain of fountains on Landis Green with a water barrier that marks 1947. The women who are on one side of this barrier move through it to join with the men who enrolled at FSU.

Of course, we will want to memorialize the "49ers," who transformed us intellectually by bringing new disciplines and a research orientation, and I hope that we can recognize these great scholars and researchers while some still are among us.

And we need to honor the brave students and faculty who transformed this university and saved its soul during the difficult days of integration.

I will ask the committee to help us develop these concepts and to work with our splendid architectural and facilities staff to coordinate the sculpture with our master plan for campus improvement.

The gift of hindsight makes it easier for us to understand how important these events have been in the life of this university, but I believe that we are going through events closer to our own time that will be regarded as transforming.

There are so many changes going on that we might pause and ask:

Which of these changes will be recognized as significant by the speaker who talks on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Florida State University?

Transformation: Campus Facelift and Beautification

Certainly those who look at the pictures of our campus will note a change.

The past decade has seen the start of a major campus facelift and beautification effort.

A decade ago, open ditches crossed our campus, many of our dormitories did not have central air conditioning, and some of our most beautiful buildings suffered from gross neglect.

1989: The main campus -- 346.4 acres 155 buildings 4,767,589 square feet of space

1989-99: Added 1,459,483 square feet in new facilities Renovated 1,338,272 square feet of existing facilities Spent a total of $545,273,869

Today: The main campus -- 463.4 acres 215 buildings 6,610,349 square feet in facilities

By 2010: Construct 2,261,063 square feet of new facilities Renovate 1,323,413 square feet of existing space Spend $502,732,794

1990 - 2010: 3,720,546 square feet of new facilities 2,661,685 square feet renovated $1,048,006,663 total expenditure

Today, all that and much more has changed.

In 1989, even though we already were more than 20 times as large as the original campus, we were starting a new and much-needed growth spurt.

In the past ten years we have added almost a million and a half square feet in new facilities; we have renovated nearly as much; and we have spent more than half a billion dollars.

Today our main campus has nearly 465 acres, 215 buildings and almost 7 million square feet of facilities.

Take a quick look at just a few of the ways this campus has changed in the past year alone: Photos of Campus Improvement Projects

When you look down the road 10 years, our main campus will grow even further. By 2010, we expect to add another 2 million plus square feet of new facilities; renovate well over a million square feet of existing space; and spend an additional half billion dollars.

Between 1990 and 2010, if everything goes according to plan, we will have added nearly 4 million square feet of new facilities; we will have renovated nearly 3 million square feet of existing facilities; and we will have spent well over a billion dollars.

But I predict we will still be looking for a parking place.

Certainly, the many campus improvements put us on the right track for shaping the proper atmosphere for higher education at Florida State University. As Churchill said, "We shape our buildings: thereafter they shape us."